Can opener



Aug. 21, 1951 T. L'. RUSH CAN OPENER v Filed May 4, 1949 ZSheYetS-Sheet 1 MHNH' uw u Ww H5 WWW HW H INVENTOR. BYTHo/ms u RUSH M H77 Aug. 21, 1951. l T, L. RUSH 2,565,048

l CAN OPENER Filed May 4, 1949 2 Sheet's-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR. THU/vas 1 RUSH Patented ug. 2l, 1A195i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CANl OPENER lThemas L. Rush, Cleveland, ohio Application May 4, 1949, serial No. 91,340

3 Claims.

l. The present invention relates to can openers of the type designed to remove the entire top of a can, which openers generally include a blade and a rotary toothed disk cooperating therewith and arranged to effect gripping and feeding of edge of a can between the blade and the 1s The primary object of the invention is to provide a simple, highly efficient can opener of the type referred to above which principally consists of two cooperating members, a blade-carrying stationary member and a rotary-disk-carrying shiftable member supported by and coupled with said base member for limited pivotal movement with respect thereto.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple, highly eiicient can opener of the type referred to above, which includes cooperating members pivotally coupled with each other for limited pivotal movement with respect to each other, each one of the cooperating members including guiding and locating means adapted to properly locate and guide a can prior to and during can opening operations.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple and highly eflicient can opener of the type referred to above, which includes cooperating members pivotally coupled with each other for limited pivotal movement with respect to each other, the members being additionally yieldingly coupled with each other by spring means arranged to yieldingly shift the members to a predetermined position with respect to each other.

With the above and additional other objects in View, the invention has other marked improvements and superiorities which radically distinguish it from presently known structures. These improvements, embodying certain novel features of construction, are more clearly set forth in the appended claims; and a preferred embodiment of the invention is hereinafter shown with reference to the accompanying drawings forming part of the specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side View of a can opener constructed in accordance with the invention, the View showing the can-engaging side of the opener;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the pivotally supported, shiftable member shifted against the tension of a spring member to the position necessary for permitting inserting of the edge of a can between the blade and the rotary toothed disk;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional View through Fig. 1, the section being taken on line 3-3 of said Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the can opener shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a side view of the blade-carrying base member; and

Fig. 6 is a side View of the rotary-disk-carrying shiftable member.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, reference numeral 2 denotes an elongated base plate adapted to be removably supported by a U-shaped bracket 3. Base plate 2 includes near its one end a partly slitted pin member 4 which is Ysleeved with its slitted portion 5 on the base plate and secured thereto in any suitable manner. Pin member 4 includes a downwardly extended portion 6 which acts as a pivot arm and non-rotatably supports base plate on bracket 3 when portion 6 is extended through bores I in arms 8 and 9 of bracket 3 and edge I0 of base plate 2 is extended through one of several slots II in arm 8 arranged in diametrical relation with respect to its bore 1. The base plate has its other end enlarged and shaped to include an axially inclined boss I2 which supports a threaded pin I3 freely rotatably mounting a cone-shaped cutting blade I4. Base plate 2 furthermore pivotally supports a friction wheel supporting shiftable plate I5 which is connected to said base plate by a pivot pin I6 extended through a hole I1 at the upper end of said plate. The shiftable plate I5 rotatably mounts a friction wheel I8 secured to a shaft I9 which mounts on its other end a crank arm 20 arranged in spaced relation with respect to plate I5 by a spacer member 2l.

As shown, friction wheel I8 and crank arm 2B are positioned at opposite sides of the can opener; that is, friction wheel I8 is positioned at the front side of shiftable plate I5 and crank arm 20 is positioned at the rear side of base plate 2, an arrangement necessitating extension of shaft I9 through the two plates I5 and 2. To that effect base plate 2 is formed with an arcuate slot 22 having the spacer member 2| on shaft I9 disposed therein. This construction limits the movements of plate I5 with respect to plate 2 but permitsl all movements necessary for proper operative positions of friction wheel I8 with respect to rotary blade I4.

The friction wheel supporting plate I5 is yieldingly shifted toward the right to position such wheel in proper working relation with respect to cutting blade I4. This is effected by a curved wire spring 23 pivotally mounted on a pin 24 arranged adjacent to pivot pin I6. Wire spring 23 has its one end formed with an eye 25 held by pin 24 and engages the curved edge of shiftable plate I5, thus tending to shift the friction-wheel-supporting plate into proper Working position with respect to the rotary cutting Wheel I4.

A guard 2B in the form of a flange on friction-wheel-supporting plate I5 protects the side walls of a can from Contact or engagement with the side of friction Wheel I8. In addition shiftable plate I5 has its central portion shaped to a finger-like member 2I extended laterally at substantially right angle to said plate, which member locates the top of a can with respect to the friction and cutting wheels. This finger member is formed as an integralpart of shiftable plate I5 and guides the can to properly feed the edge thereof between rotary blade I4 and friction Wheel I8. 'Finger-like member 2'I cooperates with asecond guard 28 attached to the base plate 2 in properly locating the can vwhen actuated upon during can-opening operations.

In cutting operations, the top of the can has been punctured when friction Wheel I8 has reached proper working position with respect to cutting blade I4 and friction Wheel I8 has been located below the edge of the can bead. In this position the can is slightly canted as guard 26 rests against the side wall of the can to prevent rubbing of the side wall on the friction wheel. In cutting operations the cut edge of the cover of the portion adjacent to its rim is tightly pressed against the inner margin of the can to eliminate rough edges on the opened can.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. In a can opener a base plate including a downwardly curved slot, a cutting wheel pivotally mounted on said base plate above said slot, a shiftable, crescent-shaped, `wheel-supporting member pivoted at one end to `said base plate at a point above said cutting blade, a friction wheel assembly including a friction wheel, a pin mounting at its one end said friction Wheel and freely rotatably extended I through a bore in said shiftable member and the p a shiftable,

friction- 4 slot in said base plate and a handle member secured to the extended end of said pin, and guide portions laterally extended from the central part and the free end of the shiftable member adapted to properly guide a can to said friction wheel and guard the side of such can from engaging the friction wheel.

2. In a can opener a base plate including a downwardly curved slot, a cutting Wheel pivotally mounted on said base plate above said slot in inclined relation With respect to said plate, crescent-shaped member pivoted with its one end to said base plate at a point above said cutting wheel, a friction Wheel assembly freely-rotatably supported by said shiftable member, said friction wheel assembly including a friction wheel mounted on a pin extended through a bore in Said shiftable member and the slot in said base plate and limiting movement of said kshiftable member with respect to said Ibase plate, and a guide portion REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

'UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,539,211 Scruggs May 26, 1925 4 1,662,172 Schaefer Mar. 13, 1928 1,678,244 Davis et al July 24, 1928 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date A281,095 Great Britain Dec. 1, 1927 

